NMFTA Finds 75% of FMCSA-Registered ELDs Are White-Label Devices

An investigation by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) has raised concerns over the existence of a vast network of “white-label” Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), warning that they could pose risks to Hours of Service (HOS) compliance and the trucking industry’s cybersecurity.

According to the investigation, more than 1,000 ELDs are self-certified in the FMCSA registry, a system that has sparked concerns over the lack of regulatory oversight. Using reverse engineering, firmware analysis, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and mobile application analysis, the NMFTA found that approximately 75% of the registered ELDs are white-label products—devices marketed under different brand names while sharing the same software, hardware, and underlying source code.

In a recent interview with Overdrive, NMFTA Chief Operating Officer Joe Ohr explained that researchers identified more than a dozen families of white-label ELDs, some consisting of dozens of virtually identical products. They also discovered companies with more than 100 devices registered under different brand names that all rely on the exact same technology platform.

Chameleon ELDs: Regulatory Gaps and Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

The primary concern is that when the FMCSA determines that an ELD fails to comply with regulations and removes it from its list of approved devices, other products built on the same technology can continue operating under different brand names. As a result, the same regulatory deficiencies or cybersecurity vulnerabilities remain active in the marketplace, making effective enforcement significantly more difficult.

According to Ohr, the investigation began by examining the manufacturing origins of numerous devices, particularly those containing components sourced from China. The effort was prompted by concerns similar to those raised during a U.S. congressional investigation into Chinese-made components used in port cranes that were viewed as a potential national security risk.

While the NMFTA representative emphasized that leading ELD providers such as Omnitracs, Samsara, Motive, and Geotab comply with federal regulations and are widely used by the largest U.S. fleets, he noted that the rapid growth in the number of self-certified devices was unexpected and warranted a deeper investigation.

Although the use of white-label technology can serve legitimate business purposes—such as licensing a platform developed by one manufacturer to another company responsible for marketing and sales—the NMFTA argues that the existence of hundreds of virtually identical registrations under different brand names lacks a valid justification and creates opportunities for carriers to circumvent Hours of Service regulations.

NMFTA Pushes for Stronger Regulatory Compliance

Over the past year, the FMCSA has removed 80 ELDs from its registry, a figure that pales in comparison to the scope of the problem identified by the NMFTA. Because revoking an ELD requires months of investigation and administrative procedures, these so-called “chameleon ELDs” remain available under different brand names, making them difficult to eliminate from the market.

In response, FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs announced his commitment to eliminating the current self-certification system, which allows manufacturers to register ELDs without prior verification by the agency.

The investigation remains ongoing, and NMFTA experts continue to assess the implications these devices pose for supply chain transparency, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance in a trucking industry that is becoming increasingly dependent on technology.